COLUMBIA CITY — Dakota Kimbler appeared in Whitley County Circuit Court Monday for a pre-trial conference.

Kimbler, 17, is being charged as an adult after he hid inside a vehicle and shot a former Whitley County Sheriff’s Reserve Officer.

Kimbler was arrested Dec. 9 for attempted murder and attempted car-jacking. He allegedly escaped from Pierceton Woods Juvenile facility and hid in the back of a car owned by Johnny Couch, who had just finished working his shift at Paragon Medical.

When Couch was near Larwill on his way home, he discovered Kimbler in his backseat. When Couch turned to confront him, Kimbler shot him in the chest with a small-caliber handgun.

During the struggle, Couch managed to wrestle the gun away from Kimbler and called the police.

Kimbler allegedly stole the gun from another vehicle, and was charged with possession of stolen property and possession of a handgun without a license — along with his attempted murder and carjacking charges.

He will be back in court for pretrial proceedings Feb. 11. According to court records, Kimbler is being represented by Brad Voelz.

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